WVU Duo Named as Good Works Team Nominees

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA), the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Allstate Insurance Company today announced the 202 nominees for the 2014 Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams® with senior Jess Harlee and junior Kevin Noreen named to the list.

The award recognizes a select group of college basketball student-athletes who have made significant contributions to the greater good of their communities through volunteerism and civic service.

Harlee, a forward and three-time co-captain on the women’s basketball team, carries a 3.92 GPA in industrial engineering, while also minoring in psychology. On the national level, Harlee was recognized as the 2013 Arthur Ashe Jr. Sports Scholar of the Year by Diverse Magazine. She earned WVU’s Industrial Engineering Student of the Year honor as a sophomore and junior. She is a 2013 Dr. Gerald Lage Award recipient, the highest academic honor given by the Big 12, and was named to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team in the Mountaineers’ inaugural season in the league. The Bel Air, Md., native has been on the WVU’s President’s List for a 4.0 GPA, is a consistent name on the Dean’s List and was named to the Big 12 All-Defensive team in 2012-13.

Noreen, a junior forward on the men’s basketball team, carries a 3.7 GPA in sport management. A two-time team captain, Noreen was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Men’s Basketball First Team in 2012-13. The Minneapolis, Minn., native has also been named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and to the NABC Honors Court.

Harlee and Noreen are each committed to involvement in the community, volunteering throughout Morgantown within the hospital, grade schools and Stepping Stones, a non-profit recreational center for people with disabilities.

In its second year, the Allstate WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams® honor players at all levels of college basketball who represent the sport’s finest in the areas of leadership and charitable achievements amongst their peers. The student-athletes nominated for this prestigious award embody the true spirit of teamwork and giving back.

“Allstate is proud to recognize these two outstanding groups of men and women whose commitment to service and volunteerism demonstrate that ‘good works’ extend beyond the basketball court,” said Pam Hollander, senior director of marketing for Allstate Insurance Company and a member of the 2014 WBCA and NABC Good Works Teams® selection panels. “Each of the nominees serves as a role model and inspiration to future generations seeking ways to give back, and another reason to celebrate the good happening in our communities.”

From the 84 WBCA nominees and 118 NABC nominees submitted by coaches and sports information directors across the nation on behalf of their schools, special voting panels will select two 10-member teams comprised of five student-athletes from the NCAA® Division I level and five student-athletes from NCAA® Divisions II, III and the NAIA.

WNBA basketball star Tamika Catchings, who played at the University of Tennessee, will headline the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team® voting panel, while former Duke University student-athlete, two-time NCAA champion and seven-time NBA All-Star Grant Hill will serve on the Allstate NABC Good Works Team® panel. The final roster of 20 award recipients will be unveiled in February.